March 28, 2011

Although I usually have a pair of earplugs with me at all times, I never before considered them survival gear until now….

I just returned from the USA Nationals Cheerleading Competition accompanying my daughter’s high school cheer squad to their first national competition. I am very proud of this team because they have accomplished so much – they now have national experience and a national ranking!

I have the utmost respect and gratitude for the team coach who taught these girls new skills and helped them achieve this new level of excellence. In addition, she truly deserves a medal, because she never got a break from the 24/7 supervision of the team and did not need earplugs. As a chaperone and assistant, I found herding the team of 18 girls (walking, buses, and planes) to warm-up/compete at the arena, to attend team dinners, and to have downtime at Disneyland very tiring.

There were early mornings for me to ensure that brown bag breakfasts and lunches were purchased, bagged, and ready before the start of daily activities. Incongruently, there were late nights for the girls so even after I had retired there was still much commotion and energy in my shared hotel room. Thankfully, I slept with earplugs…

At the annoucement of the team standings and finalist selection, the din of hundreds of cheerleaders cheering for each other in an arena built for excellent acoustics was more than my aged ears could take. Thankfully, I had my earplugs…

I’m not sure is possible to put 20+ girls/moms in close proximity during extended travel and NOT get a stream of incessant whining. Thankfully, I traveled with earplugs and could use them when I wasn’t specifically on duty…

My long view advice to future chaperones/assistants – carry earplugs because they are survival gear!

Congratulations to the girls! Thank you for the opportunity to share in your accomplishment!

March 5, 2011

Buddy taping is the act of allowing one stronger to support the weaker — a short-term aid to gain long view capability.

Buddy taping can be applied to:

a young sapling to help it grow

an injured finger/toe to allow it to heal

a new recruit learning the ropes

<your suggestion here>

This week was a buddy taping week…

As I started my new position this week, I relied heavily on others around me to educate me in the current needs, deadlines, and technology of the organization. The tasks and opportunties that have emerged energize me, but I still need the help of others until I get my bearings. I am grateful for the generosity of my new colleagues. 🙂

To solidify the buddy taping theme for the week, I injured my baby toe in a running accident. It was wet and muddy on the trail that I regularly run and I slipped on a muddy incline slamming my foot into a rock at the bottom of the section. My baby toe took the brunt of the force. Poor baby toe…all black and blue and swollen. 😦 But my injured toe made it the 2.5 miles back to the car without too much complaint — then it set up!